Stanley Jefferson
Stanley Patrick Jefferson is a character of the Eagle Legion series. He is an Air Force pilot and former IJSF Air Defense Force officer, one of the "first-generation" Valiant Squadron members. He has appeared in the book Eagle Legion: A Valiant Beginning. Early Life and Education Stan was born in San Antonio, Texas on July 7, 1978 to Marcus, a US Army Colonel and Mary Cipriani, a florist. His father, Marcus Jefferson has served during Operation Just Cause, the Persian Gulf War during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Restore Hope and the NATO Operations in Serbia. In terms of siblings, Stanley or ‘Stan’ has a younger brother, Kyle, aged 23 currently serving in the Navy with the elite SEAL Teams. During his school years, Stan was an exceptional student, leading his High School Basketball team as Captain and having above average grades. Stan worked hard enough to secure an admission to the US Air Force Academy in 1995 since he wanted to be an Air Force Officer while receiving top-notch education paid for by the US Government and backed by the fact that his dad is a military officer and war veteran. Whilst at the Academy, Stan proved to be a very capable cadet, earning his pilot’s wings at 19. He graduated with Honors in 1999 and received a commission in the US Air Force as 2nd Lieutenant immediately. Career in the USAF and the IJSF Stan was deployed to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in 2000 as an A-10 pilot. In the days after the 9/11 attacks, Stan was deployed with his unit in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. His tour in Afghanistan lasted during the months of October-December 2001, and gained the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Air Force Overseas Short Tour Ribbon. Being an A-10 pilot, he flow sorties almost daily in support of allied ground troops. After his tour in Afghanistan, Stan was transferred to Osan Airbase in February 2002. With the rise of terrorist attacks all across the world, Stan was then among the lucky few selected to be a part of an multinational task force created by Prime Minister Tony Blair, President George W. Bush and President Vladimir Putin, now known as IJSF (International Joint Security Forces). He, along with Raven Rickenbacker, Adrian Lynch, Reginald Aleksandersson, Sulaiman Arvian and William Heap became the famed group known as the Valiants, where they fight for one common goal: freedom. He fought in the Siege of Clark in 2002 where local communist rebels attacked Clark Air Base, the site of the Balikatan military exercise, without warning and backed by an unknown force providing air support whilst taking part in it with his squadron. As a result of his actions, Stan was awarded the AFP Distinguished Conduct Star by the Philippine Government on 24 February 2002. Post-IJSF Career JTF/JCTF Deployment Personal Life Awards and Decorations Recieved *Honor Graduate, USAFA 1999 *Afghanistan Campaign Medal *Air Force Overseas Short Tour Service Ribbon *Air Force Recognition Ribbon *AFP Distinguished Conduct Star (awarded by the President of the Philippines 24 Feb 2002) *IJSF Member Brevet with One Silver Star and One Gold Star Device